World leaders need vision and ability to achieve it

As leadership vacancies arise in our international institutions, Ngaire Woods says recruits should have vision, be persuasive sales people, and be able to achieve results    

THE United Nations is seeking a new secretary general. The World Bank presidency is up for grabs. The World Health Organization needs a new head. The same goes for several other international organizations.

At a time when conflicts of interest among the United States and its allies, together with the rise of China and Russia, are undermining global co-operation, the question of who fills these vacancies could not be more important.